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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26307610">All you wanna do</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrochanWitch/pseuds/CrochanWitch'>CrochanWitch</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Icarus Falls [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics), Red Robin (Comics), Robin (Comics), Young Justice (Comics), Young Justice - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Angst and Tragedy, Canon Divergence, Darkfic, Hurt Tim Drake, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Life of tim is horrible, M/M, Non-Canon Relationship, Past Abuse, Semi AU, Sexual Abuse, Tim Drake Angst, Tim Drake Has a Bad Time, Unhealthy Relationships</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 10:13:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Rape/Non-Con, Underage</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,305</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26307610</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrochanWitch/pseuds/CrochanWitch</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ever since he was a child Tim make the boys go wild.</p><p>Tim somehow always suspected that he was born to be used and discarded by people. But that never stopped him from having some hope. </p><p>He was young, it's true, but even then he knew the only thing the boys wanna to do is...</p><p>||DarkFic, Tim being abused as a child||</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Stephanie Brown &amp; Tim Drake, Tim Drake &amp; Jason Todd, Tim Drake/Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake/Dick Grayson, Tim Drake/Jason Todd, Tim Drake/Jean-Paul Valley</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Icarus Falls [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1916017</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>160</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Fic based on the life of Catherine Howart -the fifth wife of King Henry VIII-, as well as the song All you wanna do from the musical Six.</p><p>English is not my first language so I apologize from the beginning for the mistakes</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>1</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim remembers the first time he saw Batman, jumping between the rooftops of the city.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He also remembers how much it takes him to convince Bruce to let him be the new robin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim remembers the blood, sweat and tears that he shed to prove that he was capable and worthy of the mantle. And more than anything, Tim remembers his first patrol. He ended that night moaning in pain and fatigue, but full of pure adrenaline and an incomparable feeling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But, none of those memories compare to the first time that Dick Grayson -the first Robin- smiled at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>2</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim thinks that Dick sees him as a younger brother, or as an annoying kid who he has to train and care for. But the way that Dick sees him it's more dramatic, more sensual...more animal. Tim doesn't know how to describe it, the only word that appears in his head it's inhuman.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Tim is Robin, he doesn't afraid of anything </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Or at least that's what he thinks until the first time Batman leaves them alone in charge of the city.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>3</b>
</p><p>
  <span>They train together  before patrolling, because Tim is still very stiff, very soft. Tim is still not used to the life of bats.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In his mind he tries to ignore how Dick's hands seem to stop longer than necessary on his hips. Or how Dick seems to caress her legs instead of attacking him with a kick.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before the patrol Tim is panting and shaking, but not exactly from fatigue. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>4</b>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Tim close his eyes and thinks of something nice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He remembers the last movie he saw, or the book he was reading but didn't have time to finish. He thinks about lunch the next day, because what he loves most about the mansion is Alfred's food.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim thinks about how Dick asked Alfred not to wait up for them, because they were going to be back too late. He remember the look that crosses the butler's eyes, but he nods and accepts, after all without Bruce in the mansion, Dick is the master. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He thinks of all it could have been, so that way he can ignore the pain in his back when the training mat scratches his skin, or how he seems to have lost feeling in his legs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But more than anything else, to ignore and forget Dick's gasps in his ear. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>5</b>
</p><p>
  <span>He was 23 and Tim was 13 (going on 30)</span>
  <span>, but somehow everything manages to work out well between the two of them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>(Tim has decided to ignore and block that memory of him and Dick in the batcave).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even with Bruce's return, the two continue training together, rubbing their hands together from time to time, and taking every opportunity to escape to an empty and dark room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>(Or rather, Dick takes any opportunity to drag Tim to those places.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dick taught him much more than just how to defend himself, but Bruce cannot know that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim can't stop thinking that they have a connection (he must convince himself that they have it), He has known it since the first time Dick smiled at him. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Once again, I apologize for any mistakes.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>1</strong>
</p><p>
  <span>The chemistry with Dick disappeared (Tim doesn't want to admit that Dick got tired of hearing him crying every time they sleep together)</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>2</strong>
</p><p>
  <span>But then there was another guy, Jean-Paul Valley.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bruce's back breaks, and along with it, the bat's poor mental stability. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Batman leaves with Alfred, leaving in charge a new vigilante who has earned his trust (or so Tim believes. He doesn't accept that a mere stranger is in charge of Gotham city security). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jean (also known as Azrael), is a much calmer and easier to deal that Batman. He cares about Tim, and tries to take Bruce's place in his life. Tim doesn't have the heart to tell him that Bruce is everything but not a father to him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>3</strong>
</p><p>
  <span>Good things don't usually last long, and Tim realizes that when Jean starts to go crazy little by little. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Serious, stern and slow. Gets what he wants, and he won't take no.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even so, Tim tries to help him. Be the ground wire that went for Batman. And Jean seems to like that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim thinks - in some twisted way - that Jean finds his role as Batman's sidekick sensual, so he lets him train him like Bruce did in the beginning, putting up with all the bumps and bruises once again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They spilled sweat  all over the floor and his hips was so tired. He still came back the next day as Jean required.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>4</strong>
</p><p>
  <span>Jean says Tim it’s what he needs. All he wants, he don't need to plead. Because Tim feels the chemistry, much stronger than with Dick. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because he really wants that. He needs Jean as well. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Tim knows that is it. Jean just cares so much, this one's legit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They have a real connection.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He is sure that this time is different.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I know that Dick's attitude is a little strange, but everything has an explanation (although it will not be told in this story)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>1</b>
</p><p>
  <span>That didn't work out (again). So Tim decided to have a break from boys, and you'll never guess who he </span>
  <em>
    <span>met</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tall, large, Bruce Wayne (or Brucie Wayne, sometimes Tim doesn't know what personality of Bruce it’s that day). He it’s known as The Prince Of Gotham, nationally revered (Although you wouldn't know if you met him after three days without sleeping well). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim knows his playboy side as Brucie Wayne, his cold and serious personality as Batman -the protector of Gotham-, and his side as Bruce Wayne, his legal guardian and the closest thing he has to a father.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>2</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim doesn't really know how it happened. Contrary to Dick, with whom it was an instant attraction, and with Azrael, which was a relationship that occurred with the passing of time (and the loss of mental stability).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He remembers going to Bruce's room after an afternoon of training, the day was sunny and hot, so he just wore a pair of shorts and wiped the sweat off his face with his training shirt. Tim knocked on the door before entering, Bruce was choosing what to wear to the next day's meeting. And that's the last thing he remembers clearly, because the next moment he's on It's in Bruce's lap while while his tutor licks his salty neck and leaving a bite on his naked shoulder (at what point did he lose the shirt?)</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>3</b>
</p><p>
  <span>It takes him several moments to realize that it is happening clearly, how a talk about a recent case ended up in bed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He don't have to put two and two together to realize that what they are doing is wrong, he walks away from Bruce ( Tim can swear that Bruce's fingers will be marked on his skin) and runs out of the room to lock himself in the first open door that he finds. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>4</b>
</p><p>
  <span>His breathing is irregular, his heart beats a million times for hour and his neck and shoulder burn. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim has never felt so good in all his  whole life. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>5</b>
</p><p>
  <span>He tries very hard to separate his personal life from his job as a vigilante. He is Robin, the boy wonder, cannot let stupid thoughts (and feelings) cloud his judgment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But they do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gets so distracted on the following patrols that he ends getting hurt. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He needs a break, to not think about Bruce and stay away from him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he doesn't know what to do. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>6</b>
</p><p>
  <span>And then he resigns.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>7</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Batman did not take his resignation well, and Bruce does not accept that he leaves the mansion. But Tim needed that time for himself, to think about what to do besides being a vigilante and Batman's partner.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course, time off is a bitch and he doesn't stop thinking about Bruce. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>8</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim needs to talk to someone, blow off some steam (even if it's against his principles). Stephanie is busy with a secret project and doesn't answer his calls. Kon was living on the Kents' farm and spending his free time with Superman. Bart would surely convince him to do something stupid with his feelings.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the end, Tim ended up accepting his feelings, he thinks they must be that, because he didn't feel that way when he was with Dick, or the time he was Jean-Paul's boyfriend(?). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>More than anything, he was grateful when they walk away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But now, he just wants Bruce by his side. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When did he start feeling this way?</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>9</b>
</p><p>
  <span>His friends are not an option, so Tim turns to the only person available. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Barbara Gordon </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>known as Batgirl.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And was is the word that matters. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now she was only a shadow of what she once was, forced to take on the identity of Oracle in order that not be forgotten.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Or that' s what Dick used to tell him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>10</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Barbara listens to him carefully as he tries to explain (between cut words) how he feels. He never gives names, but he knows she will think it is Superboy, after all, everyone thinks they are more than just friends (as if the son of steel would want something other than an Amazon)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he is wrong.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looks at him in horror, and Tim knows immediately that she knows clearly who he is talking about. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thanks to that look on her face, he knows he made the right decision in stopping being Robin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>11</b>
</p><p>
  <span>And then he finds out that the new Robin is a she. And that it's Stephanie, her friend. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim doesn't know how to feel about it...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Should he be angry? Sad? Jealous? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then she dies and he has no time to decide. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>12</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim doesn't expect Batman to talk to him, because he knows he won't. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few days after Stephanie's funeral he returns to the mansion without telling anyone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That night he dresses up as Robin and goes out on patrol with Batman. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe the death of his friend has made him reconsider things, see life from another perspective. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was so young, she had so many dreams and hopes. She had tried harder than anyone else to make a different path for herself than her father. She enjoyed every second of it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had done nothing of that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim lived by and for being a Robin, everything else was just a bonus. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was time to live Tim Drake's life. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>13</b>
</p><p>
  <span>And Tim Drake that night kissed Bruce Wayne. Who could easily pass for his father, who was in fact his legal guardian and mentor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Bruce didn't complain, or do anything about it. On the contrary, he seemed to be waiting for the moment when Tim would come to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So maybe, just maybe, Bruce Wayne is just as sick as Tim Drake.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Once again, I apologize for the mistakes. English seems to hate me more and more</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>1</strong>
</p><p>Tim had never felt so happy in his life, but that happiness came hand in hand with a horrible tiredness. <br/>Batman had given him the responsibility of leading more important cases (which used to be exclusively for Dick), as well as accompanying him to multiple company events. But all those hours of lost sleep were perfectly worth it if he was able to hear Bruce say that without Tim, he doesn't know what he'd do.<br/> </p><p> <br/><strong>2</strong></p><p>Tim repeats to himself that Bruce is all he needs, and somehow Bruce has made him understand that he feels the same way. Words are not a strength in their relationship, but they both know there are many more ways to communicate. <br/>So he took the decision to concentrate fully on his life in Gotham. <br/>Goodbye Bart, goodbye Cassie, goodbye Kon.<br/>Gotham is the place for him. He is finally where he meant to be.<br/> </p><p>
  <br/>
  <strong>3</strong>
</p><p>Things with Bruce are going too well, too perfect. <br/>Tim knows that his life can't go well, his life has never been easy or good.<br/>But he still allows himself to enjoy the moments of relative peace.</p><p> </p><p><br/> <br/><strong>4</strong></p><p>Barbara knows everything, it is not a question to be asked, it is a statement that Tim repeats to himself every day he talks with Oracle. <br/>She doesn't say anything, but Tim knows she is planning something. <br/>He tells Bruce, but Bruce does nothing. That means that everything must be under control.<br/>But Tim has to be clear, he doesn't trust anyone (other than Bruce, obviously)<br/>And he becomes obsessed with that, thinking of the day when Bruce and he would be discovered. And that day was getting nearer to his door. <br/>He would walk through fire to save his life if it was necessary<br/> </p><p><br/> <br/><strong>5</strong></p><p>But Tim doesn't have time to think of a plan to get Barbara out of his way, <br/>Jean-Paul dies suddenly, leaving everyone in shock. <br/>Azrael had gone mad, and Bruce had been forced to stop him. At that point his relationship with Tim was over, and Tim had no particular feelings for that. Most people used to be angry or cry when a relationship ended, but Tim felt nothing more than peace, calm.<br/>But even then,Tim had helped Jean to recover and take up once more the mantle of Azrael.  Bruce had agreed and put his trust in him again. Tim was happy about that, he had given a good end to their relationship and that kept him calm.<br/>He was only 14 when he met him, and now he was 16 (almost 17) and Jean was gone forever.</p><p> </p><p><br/> <br/><strong>6</strong></p><p>Bruce organized a funeral for him, after all he was one of his proteges even though he no longer worked in Gotham. <br/>Jean lived in a small  -almost ghostly- town. Bruce, Alfred, Barbara and he were the only ones to attend the ceremony. Barbara left a red rose on the coffin and left helped by Alfred. Jean-Paul and she had an almost brotherly relationship, so it was not surprising that Barbara was heartbroken. <br/>Bruce gave him a squeeze on the shoulder and walked away leaving him alone. Tim didn't dare ask Bruce if he knew about his past relationship with Jean, or what Dick had done to him.  That would be a question he would take to his grave. At heart he hoped that his at least a short and stormy romance with Jean would remain between the two of them. <br/>In spite of everything, it had been a nice relationship in the good times.<br/>Tim was an amateur, but so was Jean.<br/>He grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it over the hole in the ground. <br/> <br/> <br/><br/></p><p>
  <strong>7</strong>
</p><p>Tim would not let the death of his former lover affect him. He was still doing his job perfectly. <br/>He came to think that the feeling that something bad would happen was about Jean-Paul's death. <br/>But the tightness in his chest was still there. <br/> </p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>8</strong>
</p><p>Shortly after that, his fear became a reality. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>9</strong>
</p><p>Tim had dislocated his shoulder a few nights ago, and although it no longer hurt or was a problem, he still had to be careful for a few more days.<br/>Bruce left him to investigate a few cases that night. Tim was hoping to have them solved by the time Batman returned from patrol to surprise him.<br/>He was the one who was surprised.<br/>Batman returned earlier than usual, and that wasn't something that surprised him very much.<br/>What did surprise him was to see a little boy -who looked just like a little Bruce- get out of the batmobile. </p><p> <br/> </p><p>
  <strong>10</strong>
</p><p>His name was Damian, and he was the son of Bruce and Talia Al Ghul.<br/>He was 10 years old and hated Tim.<br/> </p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>11</strong>
</p><p>With Damian, it wasn't easy. His temper's short and he tries to kill him so many times a day that Tim starts to get bored. <br/>Besides that, Tim feels replaced. Alfred seems to give Damian special treatment (maybe because he is Bruce's biological son), Dick has returned from Blüdhaven exclusively to meet Damian and in the process to take the role of big brother he never had with Tim.<br/>Tim really hopes that this relationship will not be the same as the one Dick had with him.<br/>Barbara made the effort to meet the little demon (Tim calls him that behind his back), the good thing about that is that she seems to have completely forgotten about Bruce and him, so something good comes with the arrival of the brat.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This chapter was only supposed to be Damian's arrival (yes, the last parts only) but it had to touch on Azrael's death.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This story was only supposed to have 6 parts, but this chapter was a bit long and I had to divide it in two.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>1</strong>
</p>
<p>Tim had managed to deal with Damian's sudden appearance. <br/>Putting up with his insults, derogatory comments, haughty superiority and assassination attempts was easy. The really hard part was sneaking into Bruce's room without Damian hearing it. <br/>Getting away from Alfred was easy, even though the butler seemed to be everywhere. Almost every night it was the same: an hour after everyone had gone to bed he would cross from one side of the mansion to the other. Bruce would wait for him with the door ajar, and Tim would close and lock it. <br/>Damian seemed to have Superman's super hearing, because as soon as Tim set one foot out of his room, Damian was already in the hallway waiting. <br/>So now Tim had to wait for at least two hours before he could risk leaving his room and use all his physical abilities to keep the noise down.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>2</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tim doesn't really know how he ended up having a fight with Bruce in the middle of the night, risking being overheard.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was tired, he had not slept well for days because he had to wait for Damian go to sleep before he could leave his room, and he could not stay long with Bruce because he had to escape before Alfred woke up. In short, they no longer spent time together, other than the time they shared as Batman and Robin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe it was something he said, or one of Bruce's hurtful comments. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe he shouldn't have pushed him, or punched his chest (from another perspective, Tim was sure he should look like a jilted lover. Maybe he was).</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe he shouldn't have said he already knew where Dick learned to be an asshole. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tim, in all the time they had been together, had never mentioned his past relationship with Dick. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That day he learned that he didn't have the right to mention Dick.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>3</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bruce opened the door just enough to push him out of his room and then slammed the door, not caring if anyone heard him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tim's legs were shaking, it took him several seconds to stand up and, leaning against the walls, managed to return to his room. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He could have sworn he heard Damian breathing against the door, trying to hear his shame.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>4</strong>
</p>
<p>Bruce did not talk to him outside the cave and the patrols. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>5</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tim was to accompany Dick to guard the docks, that night a ship would arrive from China and Batman was sure that it was a camouflaged arms export. But that night he had an important meeting with the Justice League, so Dick was left in charge. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tim was not going to forget the look of mockery that Dick gave him when Batman spoke to Nightwing and not to Robin. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dick knew everything, he was clear about that. And the son of a bitch was making fun of him for the contempt and coldness with which Bruce treated him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Well, Nightwing could take care of everything. Tim was going to take the night off.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>6</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The mansion was not an option, not with Damian there. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>On previous nights he would have gone to Spoiler, but she was dead. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He no longer trusted Barbara, and had long ignored his friends to go to them (though Tim knew that if he called Kon, he would not hesitate to fly in from wherever he was to meet him).</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He turned off his communicator and stood with Robin's suit on the top of a tall building, admiring the chaotic city he had sworn to protect. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>7</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was caught off guard. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A man with a strange red hood gave him one of the beatings of his life. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Of course, Tim defended himself as best he could. But there wasn't much he could do, the man seemed to know his every move. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He ended up passed out on the roof of the building, his face so disfigured - and covered with blood - that even Dick felt sorry for him when he found him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>8</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He felt humiliated, hurt and embarrassed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dick had taken him to the Batcave and Alfred had taken care of him. He had two broken ribs and more bruises than he had ever had in his life. The man had only used his fists, Tim didn't want to imagine what would have happened if the man with the hood had used the weapons hanging from his hips.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>9</strong>
</p>
<p>Bruce returned the next morning. <br/>Tim expected a scold or punishment for skipping the mission and letting himself be beaten almost to death. But, contrary to everything Tim thought he knew, Bruce gave him a hug (though too short to be considered one).<br/>Moments later he was punished.<strong><br/></strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>10</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Are we good?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tim wondered that as he watched Bruce's back walk to the door. He was a second away from asking it out loud, but he didn't want to have any more doubts. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Surely Bruce would have dodged his gaze and responded with ambiguous words and a lying smile.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>11</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Days later Dick was attacked by Red Hood (that's what the criminal called himself). Bruce sent him back to his city and decided to handle the case himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Soon after, he discovered the truth. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Red Hood was none other than the second Robin, Jason Todd.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He had been killed by the joker, but somehow he was alive and seeking revenge. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bruce didn't let him take it. So Jason escaped after almost killing the Joker.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After that day, Bruce was never the same.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>12</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tim had never heard Bruce mention Jason. That was a sensitive issue. He hadn't asked either, but that wasn't necessary. Dick had told him everything he needed to know about Jason and his death. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Also, Tim was embarrassed to accept that before he became the third Robin, he used to sneak out of your house to take pictures of Batman and Robin. That's how he discovered the secret identity of the Gotham vigilante. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jason had always seemed like someone interesting, and if he had met him alive he would have asked him endless questions. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now Jason was. And Tim didn't know what to ask. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>13</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It took him almost a month to fully heal, but now he was back in the game and planned to find out what Red Hood's plans were. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The problem was that Jason found him first. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>14</strong>
</p>
<p>This time Tim defended himself better than before, he had had a month to plan a strategy that would allow him to withstand Jason's blows. <br/>He hung in there long enough for Red Hood to get bored and leave him alone, almost out of breath and hurt again, but alone. <br/>That wasn't the last time they met. <br/>Every time Batman left him alone, there was Jason, waiting and ready to strike. <br/>It became a kind of routine to confront Jason on the rooftops of the highest buildings in Gotham. Batman never said anything to him about it, so Tim assumed he didn't care as long as neither of them died. <br/>Tim didn't murder, and Jason was too entertained to kill him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>15</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Why?" Tim asked him one day.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You took something that was mine." Jason grunted in his face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Batman needed a Robin".</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I was his Robin". And again, there was the grunt. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You were, but you died. He needed me".</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"But I'm alive now, and he is not going to need you"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You are, but Batman won't take you back." </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jason stopped. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I don't want to go back to him either.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Red Hood walked away from him, leaving Tim in the twilight of night with more questions than answers. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>16</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next time they met, Red Hood was waiting for him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But this time they didn't argue or fight. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jason took off his hood, leaving his identity protected only by a domino mask identical to Tim's. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tim approached him carefully, Jason only moved to sit on the roof ledge and throw him a bag of dubious origin containing a hamburger. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>On any other occasion, Tim would have taken the opportunity to stop the criminal. But it was Jason Todd, his predecessor. Besides, Tim had to admit that he was tired of the constant fights. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sat down next to him, and they silently stared at the city. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>My laptop died in the middle of the chapter, it took me days to fix it and write again. The good thing is that I was able to take advantage of those days to read Red Robin, and I already have kind of an idea for a sequel</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>1</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim doesn't know how, or why, but one day he finds himself looking forward to his meeting with Jason. At first it's always by accident, but after a few weeks they begin to implicitly fixate on points in the city where they know that they will not be disturbed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knows perfectly well that what he is doing is completely wrong. Jason is a drug dealer and a murderer, as well as being up to his neck in trouble with Black mask.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Tim finds it interesting and exciting to sneak out of a patrol to meet the man who <em>almost</em> killed him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>2</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Things with Bruce are still a little cold, especially since Jason's return. But after a couple of weeks Tim starts to not care about being discovered by Damian or Alfred, he has been trying to be sneaky and elusive for so long that he has made his visits to Bruce's room short and boring. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So one night he plucks up the courage to walk out of his room and - just like the rest of the nights - Damian waits for him in the hallway. Tim gave him a glance over his shoulder and walked away. Pleasing himself with the grimace that formed on the younger boy's face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>3</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Bruce was so careful and kind to him that Tim felt tempted to cry. From the beginning of their strange relationship, Bruce did not treat him like this, or see him with eyes of true devotion. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still, almost two hours later, as his heart returned to normal and his breathing improved, Tim could not help feeling more alone than ever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even with Bruce's body just inches away from his own. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>4</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim thought he had gotten used to Dick's constant visits, which had multiplied since Damian's arrival. After a few months, he learned to ignore the looks his former lover gave him from time to time, or how he seemed to want to corner him in every hallway and corner where they clashed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim was wrong. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dick's looks got worse as the months went by, and were gradually accompanied by subtle comments that anyone could take as a somewhat mocking talk between siblings. But they weren't brothers, they never had been. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>5</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim felt increasingly drowned inside the mansion, inside the cave. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bruce seemed not to notice, or to pretend not to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he did realize that Damian's training was special; it was almost the same training he had received during his first months as Robin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Damian wanted his place, and Dick seemed happy to help him take it away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>6</b>
</p><p>
  <span>No one could blame him for wanting to spend as much time away from Wayne Manor as possible. Bruce couldn't question it; after all, he was the most distant person in the world. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>7</b>
</p><p>
  <span>"You and Bruce aren't going to end well" Jason's voice was somewhat raspy and deep, hearing it so close only sent indecent shivers down Tim's spine. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied in a monotone voice. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"You can pretend all you want, Littlebird, but you know exactly what I'm talking about". Jason's cigarette smoke hit him right in the face, making him cough.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After so many nights together, Tim still couldn't get used to Jason's cigarette smoke. Although he had to admit that the smell that was left on his suit was something he couldn't complain about, it made him remember and smell like Jason until he returned to the cave. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"At first it must have felt like touching heaven with your hands, but now it must feel like hell, right? Jason took another puff on his cigar before putting it out and throwing it over the edge of the building.  "When it all goes to hell, you'll remember me.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>8</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim opened his mouth, ready to respond. He couldn't be speechless, he always had something witty to say, and over the past few months he had become an expert at returning insults. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Jason always seemed to be two steps ahead of him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as the first word leaves Tim's mouth, he was silenced by Jason's lips.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>9</b>
</p><p>
  <span>At that moment Tim knew what it felt to touch the sky with his hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason's lips were so soft and fleshy that Tim couldn't think of anything else but how they moved against his. How they seemed to fit together perfectly and how without the need of tongues it seemed to be the best kiss he has had in months. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But then Jason bites his lip and inserts his wet, slippery tongue, ready to know every last inch of Tim's mouth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim no longer needed to touch the sky with his hands, because he was there. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>10</b>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn't know exactly how long they've been on the roof of that building, or how long they've been kissing. His lips feel delicate, his chest goes up and down with difficulty, taking every little chance Jason gives him to breathe, and his heart seems to have run a marathon against Flash. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason's mouth is expert, which makes him wonder how many people he has practiced with (would there be as many as Dick?)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason kisses him gently, stroking his back from time to time and taking a few seconds between kisses to look him in the eye even though they are both still wearing masks. After a few minutes he gets bored with that rhythm and returns to devour his mouth with such passion and aggression that Tim thinks he is going to die right there. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The clothes are still there, but his hands are not quiet at all. Jason grabs him by the hips (he's going to have some very hard marks to hide) and holds him over to his lap. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim is just seconds away from proposing that they go somewhere more comfortable. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then the image of Bruce appears in his head. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>11</b>
</p><p>
  <span>He pushed Jason as hard as he can and ran away, jumping to the nearest building and then disappearing into the darkness. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>12</b>
  
</p><p>
  <span>If Bruce never found out then everything would be fine. Tim was an expert at lying to himself, he just had to pretend that night never happened. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>13</b>
</p><p>
  <span>A week later he met Jason by accident, both as civilians. Or more precisely, Jason was waiting for him outside the school, knowing that Alfred would not pass for him that day. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim didn't need to talk with him to know his intentions, so he followed him quietly to an already familiar bike. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>14</b>
</p><p>
  <span>"Look," said Tim after a few minutes of silence. Jason took him to the docks on Tricorner Island, a place so far away from the rest that both knew even Batman himself would not know what was going on there. "What happened...we must forget it".</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Bru...-Batman is my life, it's what I live for.Batman, being Robin is all I have. I don't want to ruin that".</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Jason looks at him with serious eyes, which for a second remind him of the look Bruce (Batman) used to give him when they started working together. And for some reason, that look makes him feel like he's naked in front of a crowd.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason turns around and gets back on his bike, leaving him alone in the middle of the harbor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim lets out a sigh of resignation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>15</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Without Jason the days become boring and gray. Tim no longer feels the excitement of finishing a patrol to sneak out of Batman's sight and meet the renegade. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now he sees the hours running before his eyes without it really meaning anything. Damian insults him like he does every day, but it's already a routine that tires him out. Dick throws him a derogatory look or some inappropriate comment, but he passes him by and goes on his way as if nothing had happened. Alfred tells him that his dark circles under his eyes are more pronounced than ever and he should consider sleeping more. Tim skips the patrol that night and sleeps over 8 hours for the first time in years. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bruce invites him into his room one night, not with words, but with a look Tim already knew as well as his reflection in the mirror. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Tim does not see Bruce for the first time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>16</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Almost a month after that day at the docks, Tim sees him again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Red Hood was waiting for him with his helmet under his arm and a cigarette in his mouth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim didn't expect to find him, but he didn't expect to get to that building either. It seemed that somehow that place was calling him. They had kissed to death on that roof almost a month ago (Tim could swear he could still feel Jason's lips moving against his own, as well as the taste of tobacco and cheap beer in his mouth).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The feelings were too many to describe, his head spinning and his chest struggling up and down, as if his lungs were as surprised as he was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had been trained by the best detective in the world, one of the smartest and most cunning people alive, but still Tim was speechless. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason pulled something out of his back, Tim went from bewilderment to panic, prepared to be attacked like in the old days, when they had met.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Jason didn't attack him, he pulled a bottle of energy drink out of his back - or in other words, out of his jacket pocket - and threw it at him. Tim had just enough seconds to react and grab it before it hit the ground. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason used those seconds to sit in the same spot as before, inviting Tim with his eyes to do the same. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim smiled for the first time in weeks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>17</b>
</p><p>
  <span>It didn't take him that long to realize how much he had missed Jason. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Robin life isn't what Tim planned, but Jason was there to lend a helping hand. And that's all Tim needed. Two of his best friends were dead, Stephani had been his replacement as Robin and then died, Bruce had a son who was a pain in the ass (as well as a murderer), Dick enjoyed teasing him every day, he was legally a Wayne and was sleeping with his foster father. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His whole life was a complete disaster, but Jason seemed to understand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They both told each other the truth, even if it hurt. Tim no longer had to think twice about his comments, and Jason didn't hesitate to call him a spoiled brat or second-hand replacement every chance he got. But all that was perfect. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason finally was what Tim want, the friend he need. Just mates, not chemistry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Both were each other's support, and there's nothing more to it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>18</b>
</p><p>
  <span>And then - when Tim begins to think that his life may be taking a better turn - Bruce dies. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay, the next part is the last one. I really want to write Dick's story, but first I have to tell Jason and Barbara's story.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Chapter based on the comics Battle for the Cowl 1,2 and 3, as well as the first chapters of Red Robin.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>1</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim doesn't know how things got this way. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>One minute he's in the cave trying to convince Dick to wear the Batman cowl, and the next he's Batman, going to meet Jason Todd and stop him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Things had become more complicated than usual in Gotham. Without Batman the criminals had the city at their mercy. No matter how hard they tried to stop them, one or two fewer criminals in one night made no difference. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gotham needs Batman. Tim needed him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Bruce was gone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>2</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Dick decided to call in reinforcements, but even with that Gotham did not leave the chaos in which it was immersed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim risks his life more times in those few weeks than in all his Robin years. But he was prepared to die, Bruce had taught him that. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>3</b>
</p><p>
  <span>He had had no contact with Jason since Superman brought them Batman's lifeless body in person. They proceeded to give him a dignified burial in an unmarked grave in Gotham's general cemetery, for the rest of the world Bruce Wayne was still alive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When a man dressed as Batman started terrorizing the streets, Tim didn't have to put two and two together to find that it was Jason. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>4</b>
</p><p>
  <span>"It has to be one of us, Dick."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We've already talked about this, Tim". Dick hit the computer keyboard harder, refusing to confront the boy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If we don't do it, someone else will!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I already said no, Tim! None of us are going to take Bruce's place".</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Gotham needs it, Dick. Gotham needs Batman, someone has to be. We're wasting time arguing when someone else is out on the streets dispensing justice and calling himself Batman."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I won't say it again, Tim. No is no."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim clenched his fists and turned around to get out of there. He needed to think</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>5</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Some prisoners escaped from Blackgate, and after that Arkham is destroyed. The criminal gangs decide that it is the best time to mark the new limits of their territories. The Penguin and Two-Face begin a war that plunges the city into even greater chaos, and the house of cards that Batman had worked so hard to build is ready to be torn down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Tim was not going to allow that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>6</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Stealing one of the Batman suits is relatively easy.And to his surprise the suit fits him like a glove, it doesn't need much adjustment. At what point did he grow up so much? At what point did he stop being a boy and become a man? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim has many questions but no answers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>7</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Under Gotham, in the collapsed ruins of the subway system, Tim finds the lair of the fake Batman. Deep down he hopes that he is wrong and that this Batman is just another criminal, deep down he hopes that Jason realizes his mistakes so he doesn't have to fight him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Deep down Tim hopes for a lot. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>8</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason appears suddenly and surprises him, but Tim is still fast enough to dodge him. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm going to finish your little costume party now, Jason!"</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"But the game is just beginning! Follow me, Boy Wonder!</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Tim can fight, Bruce trained him for that. He is a balanced mix of brain and skill, always has been. But Tim was trained to follow the same moral principles as Batman, which plays against him and gives Jason a point.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason is willing to do anything, and forgets that the guy in the Batman suit in front of him is the same guy he's been sharing talks and jokes with for the past few months.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He forgets that for a few beautiful moments he saw the boy in front of him as an equal. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"You have a chance to save yourself, Tim" Jason says, as he doesn't hesitate to hurt Tim's face and body with a Batarang. "Join me, be my Robin.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"Join you, a psycho killer? Sure, why not," Tim replies, with sarcasm that only adds to Jason's anger.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"You find this funny?!" Jason breaks Tim's nose and throws him to the ground with a sure-fire kick in the face. "You look ridiculous in that suit, like a kid going trick-or-treating."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Tim feels something metallic against his fingers. It's a joke of life that all he has at hand to defend himself is a crowbar, but life is that cruel sometimes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He strikes Jason back, letting his anger out with each blow. Jason's mouth fills with blood, but still he doesn't stop smiling. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"There's nothing funny about this, Jason, so what are you laughing at?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He feels something cold in his chest.  He looks down for a second and can see a batarang stuck deep in the center of his chest, just above his sternum. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He falls to the ground unconscious.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>9</b>
</p><p>
  <span>He should be dead, Tim wishes he was dead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The pain in his chest keeps him from thinking; he is between unconsciousness and clarity. But his body still manages to make him react enough to see Jason smiling at him with a Joker smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He closes his eyes again, knowing that he will never be able to get that image out of his head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>10</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Tim can't hear you, he's dead. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He hears voices in the distance, but they only remind him of the voices of his parents arguing in the living room when he was little and he would hide in his room so as not to hear them. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"You should know that Drake behaved like a man. He knew the consequences of his actions. He knew what it meant to reject my proposal. "Tim knows that one of the voices is Jason's, he could recognize that voice even in death. And he was about to be. "Although I think it would be more appropriate for you to accept my offer, after all, you are the original."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Be my partner, my Robin"</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Tim knows that if he were enought aware, those words would have hurt him. But in that moment they are only enough to send him into unconsciousness once again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>11</b>
</p><p>
  <span>When he wakes up again he is in the bat cave, a heart monitor checks his vital signs and thick layers of bandages cover his chest. The batarang pierced his skin and made him lose blood, but it was not deep enough to go through his sternum and pierce his heart. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He is alive by a miracle, and all thanks to the quick action of Damian, who risked his life to save him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim wants to vomit. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>12</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Dick finally accepts the Batman suit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Tim doesn't have to be a genius (he is) to know what that means.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dick fires him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Robin is Batman's sidekick, his apprentice, and Dick is not willing to be his mentor. Damian takes Robin's mantle and rubs it in his face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>13</b>
</p><p>
  <span>If Tim could hit someone he would, but his body is not yet healed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He destroys one of the corridors of the mansion, one full of paintings of the old Waynes. Bruce had given him a tour and talk in that hallway when he adopted him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If he closes his eyes he can still remember that day perfectly. Bruce's calm words, the hand on his shoulders to guide and comfort him, the sense of tranquility that invaded him at the thought that he finally belonged to something. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>None of the paintings are saved, they all end up broken on the floor, next to Tim's body. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>14</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim wonders why he thought everything could be different, life had shown him over and over again that things would not be like this. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The first really good thing in his life was becoming Robin, and not even his past with Dick or Jean-Paul could take that away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had made friends, found a family and a purpose.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he had lost everything. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Conner and Bart, two of his best friends, were gone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason had betrayed him and almost killed him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dick and Damian hated him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Bruce, his Bruce, his tutor, his teacher, his reason for living, his lover, was dead. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Life had taught him over and over again that people only wanted one thing from him, and once they got it he was no longer important. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim closed his eyes, wishing that this time it would be forever. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And here we are at the end, thank you for joining me in this strange story. I plan to write the story of Jason and Dick, but I also want to tell the story of Barbara. I hope you will join me in those stories!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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